Human Habitation & Living Standards
Property Letting Guides

Human Habitation regulations for all UK properties.

Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, it’s the landlords responsibility to ensure that your rental property, (including the common areas) are fit for ‘human habitation’ at the start of and throughout the period of the tenancy agreement.

The criteria included within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 states as to whether a property is fit for human habitation. Every property must be free of serious hazards that make it unsuitable for occupation. It’s the landlord’s responsibility to make sure that hazards such as the following are not present

The criteria of ‘Fitness for Human Habitation’

1
A building that is seen as unstable.
2
A property that is neglected or in bad condition.
3
A layout that is unsafe.
4
A low amount of natural light.
5
Any serious issues with damp.
6
Insufficient ventilation.
7
Issues with the supply of hot and cold water.
8
Difficulty to prepare and cook food or to wash up.
9
Defective drainage or problems with the lavatories.

It’s the landlords responsibility to remedy the hazard as soon as they’re made aware of it by the tenant, or immediately if the hazard is located in a common area of the building.

Depending on the circumstances, the landlord is offered a ‘reasonable amount of time’ to fix the hazard.

Landlords are required to give tenants at least 24 hours’ written notice of a visit to fix the hazard and should take place within reasonable hours.

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    • We recently switched from another letting agency to James Laurence, as we found their team so warm and friendly and loved the local aspect of the agency. The team have absolutely exceeded our expectations, making the changeover feel so seamless and finding new tenants for our apartment at really short notice. Lotti could not have been more wonderful to work with, going completely above and beyond to ensure our tenants could move in just before Christmas. We felt an immediate affinity with her and have so appreciated her attention to detail, quick thinking and creativity. She has made us feel so at ease, supported and like our property is in the safest of hands. Charlotte and Melissa have also been so helpful and lovely to deal with during the process. Having worked with several other agencies in Birmingham, I cannot recommend James Laurence highly enough. Look no further, they are the best!

      Julia Collins Andreu Avatar Julia Collins
      28 December 2022

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      15 October 2022

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      2 October 2022

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      16 June 2022

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      20 May 2022